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They might not have been the most successful team over the last 15 years, but Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with some ridiculously talented footballers.

For example, before his move to Bayern Munich, Harry Kane was undoubtedly the best striker in the Premier League and formed one of the best-attacking partnerships ever alongside Son Heung-min.

However, years before those two became the superstars they are, another Spurs attacker was the envy of the footballing world: Gareth Bale.

The Welsh legend was a force of nature for the Lilywhites and eventually netted the team a world record £85m, which was infamously spent on seven somewhat underwhelming signings, including one player who was supposedly more skilful than the Champions League winner, but is now struggling in the Greek Super League.

Spurs' not so magnificent seven

Yes, with the money made on Bale's sale, Daniel Levy and Co opted to splash the cash on seven new signings that summer, and while some of them panned out okay, most did not.

For example, while Roberto Soldado and Paulinho arrived with plenty of hype, the former due to his incredible goal record in Spain and the latter because of comparisons to Frank Lampard, neither one achieved much of anything at the club.

Likewise, while none of them were dreadful, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches all left the North Londoners within three years, leaving little to no mark on the club whatsoever.

However, while five of the seven arrivals left arguably as flops, there were two who certainly had more of a positive impact.

The first is Christan Eriksen, who was undoubtedly the most successful of the seven and made 305 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 69 goals and providing 88 assists before leaving to join Inter Milan in January 2020.

The final member of the not-so-magnificent seven wasn't as successful as the Dane, but he remained in North London for longer and certainly made his mark, although comparisons to Bale in the early days look even more ridiculous now that he's struggling in the Greek Super League.

The former Spurs star struggling in Greece

So, with six of the seven players already covered, it should come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is Erik Lamela.

The Argentine ace joined the North Londoners for around £25.8m in late August 2013, and while he wasn't as game-changing as Eriksen was, he was significantly more impactful than the other five players signed that summer.

In fact, to his credit, the Carapachay-born dynamo was the last man standing from the magnificent seven and ended up making 257 appearances for the club before joining Sevilla as part of a swap deal in July 2021.

In those appearances, the 32-year-old scored 37 goals, provided 44 assists and occasionally showed real glimpses of quality, such as his Puskas-winning goal in the North London Derby.

While these moments helped justify the money spent on him, he could never quite live up to the expectations people had of him when he first arrived in N17, especially after club legend Ossie Ardiles proclaimed that he was "more skilled than Bale."

Such comments look even more outrageous today, as after three middling seasons at Sevilla, the 25-capped international joined Greek side AEK Athens, and while he's not been woeful, he hasn't been great either.

In 13 appearances across all competitions, the former Spurs star has failed to score a single goal and has just three assists to his name, which is not the sort of output you would expect from someone of his ability.

Ultimately, despite being a decent servant to the club, Lamela could never live up to the expectations people had of him at Spurs, and it looks like that may be happening to him again, only this time in Greece.

Unsurprisingly, this season has been another one full of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou has been able to get the team to look sublime in some games but utterly hopeless in others.

The Australian has turned the team into one of the most entertaining in the country, but to reach the next level and cut out the inconsistencies, he'll need Daniel Levy and Co to back him in the upcoming transfer windows, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Fortunately, it appears the club are now willing to clear out the deadwood, as recent reports suggest one of Postecoglou's most frustrating players could be axed in 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Tottenham Hotspur expert John Wenham, Spurs would be willing to take a big hit to sell Yves Bissouma next year.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Wenham said, "I think at this point they would be prepared to accept around £16million," representing a £9m loss on the £25m the club paid for him under the management of Antonio Conte.

This opinion comes off the back of a report from football.london's Alasdair Gold earlier this month, in which the respected journalist also proclaimed a belief that the club are now more than willing to sell the Mali international next year.

Overall, selling the former Brighton & Hove Albion star for a loss would confirm that signing him was a mistake in the first place, but given his performances for the club, cutting their losses would be the smart thing to do for Levy and Co.

Why Spurs should sell Bissouma

So, the very first thing to say is that, on his day, Bissouma can be an incredibly effective midfielder, both in attack and defence, but therein lies the first reason he should be sold; it's rarely his day.

Despite this now being his third season in North London, the former Brighton ace has failed to make himself an integral member of the first team, as just when it looks like he might be set for an extended run of good form, he goes and makes a mistake.

For example, despite putting in some impressive displays this season, like against Manchester City in the League Cup, the Issia-born star has given Postecoglou reasons to doubt him, thanks to his woeful performances against Chelsea and Rangers, for which Gold gave him a 3/10 and 4/10 match rating, respectively.

On top of putting in lacklustre showings, the "absolutely ridiculous" midfielder, as dubbed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, has also picked up his fair share of suspensions.

For example, he missed the win over Southampton for picking up too many yellow cards and, last season, he earned a second yellow for diving against Luton Town and a straight red for a nasty foul away to Nottingham Forest.

Lastly, since joining the Lilywhites, he has missed 23 games for club and country through injury, meaning his fitness is almost as unreliable as he is on the pitch.

Ultimately, Bissouma is a talented player, but he's clearly too inconsistent to help take Spurs forwards, so even though they'll likely make a loss, it would make sense for Levy and Co to cut their losses and sell him as soon as possible.

Thanks to their sensational Premier League victory over Southampton on Sunday evening, the feeling around Tottenham Hotspur is a little more positive than it was a week ago.

It was practically the complete performance from Ange Postecoglou's side; five goals were scored, none conceded, and they were able to coast through the second half without exerting too much effort.

The likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr all looked back to their brilliant best, and club captain Son Heung-min rolled back the years.

However, while he was excellent, the club need to start looking for his replacement, and the good news is, they might have already found him in a player compared to Cole Palmer, of all people.

Why Spurs need a Son replacement

So, the first thing to say is that, over the last nine years or so, few players have had even close to Son's impact on English football.

The South Korean superstar is undoubtedly a Tottenham great, and you'd be hard-pressed to find many people who'd deny him being a Premier League great as well.

For example, in just 316 appearances in the competition, the Chuncheon-born dynamo has scored 125 goals and provided 68 assists, equating to a fantastic average of a goal involvement every 1.63 games.

However, as spectacular as the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has been for the Lilywhites, time comes for us all, and at 32 years old, his ability to impact games from out wide is beginning to wane.

That isn't a slight on him either, as research carried out by The Athletic found that the age at which wide players peak is 26, so there can be no doubt that while he's still capable of a brilliant performance here and there, he cannot be relied upon to perform week-in-week-out.

Moreover, this season has seen him fade out of games more than ever, making it clear that he cannot be a long-term option as Postecoglou looks to build a title-winning team over the next few years.

The good news is that reports have linked the club with someone who'd be an ideal replacement for Son, someone who's been compared to Palmer.

The dream Son replacement

To get straight to the point, the player in question is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who, according to a report late last week from GIVEMESPORT, is one of several players being looked at by the club.

There is no mention of a price in the story, but other reports from this month have claimed that he could be available for as little as £25m due to the French side's financial issues.

With that said, before we look at his numbers from this season, let's examine this comparison to Chelsea's Palmer and where it comes from.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the second most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots on target, goal-creating actions and passing accuracy, all per 90.

However, it's not just the comparison to the Blues' new superstar that makes the 21-year-old such an exciting candidate to replace Son; he's also putting up impressive numbers this season.

For example, in 17 appearances, the incredible youngster, who respected analyst Ben Mattinson described as having "Ballon d'Or potential," has scored five goals and provided seven assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.41 games.

Ultimately, Spurs will need to sign someone genuinely spectacular to replace the output Son has provided them over the years, and while it would represent something of a gamble, Cherki looks like he has the potential to become that player.

The topsy-turvey nature of Tottenham Hotspur's season continued yesterday evening.

Following their disappointing Europa League draw against Rangers on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou's side bounced back with an emphatic 5-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League.

The North Londoners scored within the first minute and were three up within a quarter of an hour, showing the rest of the league just how good they can be when things go their way.

Moreover, one of the team's best players at St Mary's may have just given the club an excuse to ship off one of their recent underperformers for a colossal sum.

Spurs' surprise starter

So, the player in question, who shone at St Marys, is English right-back Djed Spence.

The former Middlesbrough gem first joined Spurs in the summer of 2022 for around £20m, but over the next couple of years, was sent on loan to the Championship, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

At one point this season, it looked like the 24-year-old's time in N17 was running out as he wasn't registered in the club's Europa League squad, but after some cameo appearances, he finally made his first start of the campaign against the Saints and more than took his opportunity.

The "swashbuckling" full-back, as dubbed by Ian Wright, was solid in defence and decisive in attack, providing the assist for James Maddison's opener and playing his part in the club's second and fifth goals as well.

Unsurprisingly, the 6 foot ace impressed the watching press, with Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarding him an 8/10 match rating at full-time and describing his display as 'spectacular.'

Spence was so brilliant that he may well have just given the club an excuse to sell one of his rivals, who's been linked with an expensive exit for some time now.

The Spurs ace Ange could sell

Now, given the position Spence started in yesterday, it should come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is Pedro Porro.

The Spanish full-back joined the club for around £40m under the stewardship of former manager Antonio Conte but remained the first choice in his position following the arrival of Postecoglou, and given his output, it's easy to understand why.

For example, in 74 appearances for the club to date, the 25-year-old has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists, which equates to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.36 games.

Unsurprisingly, this attacking skill has seen the former Sporting CP star linked to some of the most successful clubs around, such as Spanish behemoths Real Madrid and the reigning champions of England, Manchester City.

However, according to reports from October of this year, the Lilywhites value the right-back at a mammoth £80m, which may well be a price they would be even happier to sell at following Spence's excellent display yesterday evening.

Moreover, for as undeniably brilliant as the "titanic" full-back is going forward, dubbed by The Athletic's former Spurs correspondent Charlie Eccleshare, he's caused Postecoglou some problems in defence this season.

For example, you only have to look back at Thursday night's draw, and it was his runner who scored Rangers' goal, which the manager admonished him for on the pitch at full-time.

Ultimately, while Porro is an incredible talent, he has his weaknesses, and with Spence seemingly ready to step in, it might be a smart idea for Daniel Levy and Co to try and get £80m for him next year.

Tottenham have now been named as the side most interested in signing a potential future star whose stock is rapidly rising, according to a fresh report.

Tottenham target youth in transfer window

Central to Tottenham's new long transfer policy has been a focus on youth talent, with their latest new face set to debut in January. Ange Postecoglou's side have aimed to sign players under the age of 21 for the most part, including the arrivals of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert in the most recent transfer window.

They were signed alongside young talent Yang Min-Hyeok, who is arriving at the club in the coming days ahead of officially becoming a Premier League player on January 1st.

"I am excited to be joining the club. It would be an honour to play with [Heung-Min] Son and I would be grateful for that opportunity," Yang told reporters at Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

"I'd like to get into a match before the season ends, and hopefully score a goal or get an assist," Yang added. "Because I am joining the team in midseason, I've been focusing on rest and recovery, so that I will stay healthy going forward.

"Personally, I feel that I am ready [for Premier League debut]. I'll put on a good performance there and I hope fans will continue to support me."

Yang is the latest in a long line of young talent signed in north London, with the likes of Ashley Phillips, Alejo Veliz and Luka Vuskovic all young talents currently out on loan with bright futures at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now, they are looking to add another to their ranks.

Tottenham most interested side in teenage talent

That is according to a fresh report coming out of Spain, which claims that Spurs lead the way to sign Preston North End talent Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile.

Still just 18-years-old, the Argentine is yet to make his debut for the Preston senior side but shot to prominence back in 2022 after he scored five goals in an FA Youth Cup tie against Rotherham United, and he has previously been on trial with Liverpool.

“After a few sessions I had to ask him if he was right- or left-footed" Andy Wallace, his former manager at Huyton, told the Athletic. “You could tell he had played futsal. He was technically gifted, good on the ball, his touch and his ability to shoot from distance and different angles was not something you saw from many.”

Now, his performances at youth level have caught the eye of Tottenham, with the report claiming that Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town are all monitoring the youngster.

Of the trio of Premier League sides, it is the north Londoners who are among the "most interested" in his signature in the months to come. Rodriguez-Gentile is under contract in Lancashire until 2026, meaning that should he move on this season it could be the last chance for Preston to receive any sort of meaningful fee for the talent.

Tottenham are now set to hold talks over signing a new goalkeeper for Ange Postecoglou, with their target considered the best in the division, a new report has claimed.

Tottenham back on track

Tottenham's up and down Premier League campaign continued as they thrashed Southampton 5-0, a result that ultimately saw Saints boss Russell Martin lose his job at St Mary's. Postecoglou's side were ahead inside a minute through James Maddison in what turned into a first half rout for the Lilywhites.

They scored three inside 14 minutes before taking a 5-0 lead into half time, allowing them to coast through the second half as boos rang around St Mary's.

"It was outstanding by the players", Postecoglou said after the game. "We had a tough European game away on Thursday night. We had 10 first-team players unavailable tonight and for the lads to come out with that much energy. We had to come out quickly because we knew we were going to get tired. We are asking a lot of our layers and the quality and energy showed was outstanding."

There are still concerns in north London about Postecoglou's lack of pragmatism in some games, something which means that despite having scored the second most goals in the Premier League they still sit in 10th place. But now, attention is turning towards the transfer market.

Tottenham ready talks for new goalkeeper

That is according to CaughtOffside, who report that Spurs are now ready to open talks to sign Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor in a permanent deal.

Tottenham are on the lookout for a new no.2 goalkeeper, with Fraser Forster out of contract at the end of the current campaign and neither Brandon Austin nor Alfie Whiteman having yet made the step up to senior football with any success.

And according to the report they are eyeing a move to sign Victor, who kept a league high seven clean sheets in the Brazilian Serie A in the most recent campaign, while he also topped the goalkeeper charts in several other stats too.

It is claimed that the 28-year-old will be available for "around €9-10million" (£7m-£8m), and that Spurs are "expected to hold talks" imminently, alongside fellow Premier League giants Manchester United.

Any deal to sign the Botafogo man would likely be one that takes place in the summer however, with Ange Postecoglou already having seemingly ruled out adding another goalkeeper to his ranks despite the injury to Vicario.

"That's not going to happen [sign a free agent]. That's why we've got a squad of players here. I don't think us signing a free agent now is going to help us," he explained last month. "We're happy with what we've got."

But with Forster set to leave in a matter of months, Victor could be the man asked to step into the vacancy.

Tottenham needed a win, they needed a massive win to really get Ange Postecoglou back in the good books of supporters.

Make no mistake about it, this has been a rough period for Spurs who weren’t threatening to gift their fans many Christmas presents until they arrived on the south coast to face Southampton at St Mary’s.

Despite the Saints’ rocky form, this was not a match to take lightly considering the Lilywhites have already tasted defeat to Crystal Palace and Ipswich this season.

Thankfully for Postecoglou’s men, they had no trouble whatsoever dismantling Southampton who subsequently sacked manager Russell Martin just hours after the full-time whistle.

Had Spurs lost then it’s likely the Australian coach will have been facing questions about the security of his own managerial position.

Therefore, he has Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Pape Sarr to thank for a remarkable 5-0 victory.

Tottenham’s attacking numbers against Southampton

Seeing Spurs take an opposition to the cleaners isn’t very surprising.

Under Postecoglou, the north Londoners have been a side to play high-risk entertaining football. They flood bodies forward with great regularity but their high line often leaves them exposed to a counter attack.

Well, even with a defensive duo of Radu Dragusin and teenager Archie Gray, they went through the 90 minutes relatively untested.

That was largely thanks to the players in front of them for such a splendid performance. Maddison was one of the stars of the show, scoring twice and creating two key passes before being withdrawn in the 77th minute.

Son - who was taken off at the break - also starred for the visitors, needing just 45 minutes to score a goal and supply two assists.

It was a ruthless display from Postecoglou’s men who found themselves a goal to the good inside the opening minute. It got better with each passing minute and before you knew it (25 minutes in to be precise), Sarr rolled home to make it 4-0.

That being said, for all the good things we’re seeing about Tottenham’s attack, they do need to start seeing more from mega-money summer signing, Dominic Solanke.

Solanke’s performance in numbers against Southampton

With Harry Kane gone, Spurs were left to rue not signing a striker in the summer of 2023.

Richarlison struggled to stay fit and as a result, it meant that Son played a lot of football as the focal point of the attack.

Subsequently, the addition of a centre forward in the summer of 2024 was an absolute necessity. They went out and signed Solanke from Bournemouth with the English talent setting Daniel Levy and Co back around £65m.

Since then it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the former Cherries striker who isn’t just finding goals hard to come by, but is finding actually getting general goalscoring chances troublesome.

The big-money addition initially started off well by registering three goal involvements in his first five league outings. Since then, he has scored just three times in Tottenham’s last nine matches, and once in his last seven.

While Solanke’s role in this Spurs team is about a lot more than just scoring goals - bringing others into play and helping the wide players thrive in behind - Postecoglou does need to see him involved in the penalty box more often.

What rather summed up his season so far was the game with Southampton where despite his team scoring a handful, the Englishman never really got in the game and was isolated out of proceedings.

Handed a 6/10 player rating by the Standard, it was hardly a surprise considering he had just 13 touches of the ball and completed five passes all night.

Postecoglou’s men were rampant in attack but Solanke was so ineffective that he was hauled off on 82 minutes having yet to win a single duel.

Fortunately for the 27-year-old the rest of his colleagues were on fire, helping Spurs to their biggest win of the campaign to date.

Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly interested in signing one league’s top passer for Ange Postecoglou in 2025.

Tottenham eyeing new signings in defence and attack

Spurs appear to be eyeing up new signings in 2025, both in defence and attack. Injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have dealt a major blow to Postecoglou, who's been forced to utilise a makeshift option in teenage summer signing Archie Gray at the back alongside Radu Dragusin - their only fit natural central defender.

Tottenham are rumoured to have held talks over signing Omar Alderete from Getafe in the winter, whereas in attack, Timo Werner came in for criticism from Postecoglou after his display against Rangers.

"I said that to Timo. He’s a senior international, he’s a German international," said Postecoglou on Werner's performance against Rangers.

"In the moment we’re in right now, it’s not like we’ve got many options. I need everyone to at least be going out there trying to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable."

Lyon attacker Rayan Cherki has been linked as a potential replacement for Werner, but now, another new defender has emerged on the radar of Daniel Levy and co.

Tottenham want another Leeds star after Archie Gray

According to transfer expert Graeme Bailey, talking to Leeds United News, Spurs are one of the clubs looking at signing Leeds defender Pascal Struijk in 2025 after their move for Gray earlier this year.

“Struijk is coming into his prime and has really been under the radar to a lot of people – not Leeds fans – but he is very much on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs.

“A left sided defender and he is real quality and I am told Tottenham are amongst those who have checked on him. Clearly Leeds want him to stay and will look to tie him down to a new deal, but him staying long-term will be dictated by Leeds getting back to the Premier League.”

Struijk has been a regular at the back for the Whites under Daniel Farke and is actually the Championship’s top passer after 21 games.

The 25-year-old has been at Elland Road since 2020 and is closing in on 150 appearances in a Leeds shirt, and it looks as if he could be seen as someone who could arrive in north London.

It's safe to say that Tottenham's season has been a turbulent mess, more specifically in the last few months.

Ange Postecoglou has been facing more questions as Spurs boss and it looked as though fans had run out of patience following the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth earlier in the month.

Since then they blew a lead against Chelsea and could only draw 1-1 with Rangers in the Europa League.

So, a 5-0 win over Southampton that saw them 4-0 up within 25 minutes was just what the doctor ordered. It was about as comprehensive as you're going to get in a Premier League game and has relieved the pressure significantly on the squad.

Yes, the Saints have been shocking for the most part this term but it's not as though Spurs haven't already dropped points against the likes of Crystal Palace and Ipswich already.

So, who starred on the away team at St Mary's on Sunday?

Tottenham's best performers against Southampton

There were some bold selection calls from Postecoglou heading into this game and there needed to be following the draw against Rangers.

Timo Werner was unsurprisingly on the bench a few days on from the manager's public outburst, slamming the forward in his post-match press conference at Ibrox.

The biggest surprise, however, saw Pedro Porro have to settle for a place among the substitutes, although he was forced to come on for the injured Destiny Udogie early in the first period.

While the Spurs defence kept a rare clean sheet, it was the forward players and midfielders who captured the eye the most.

The two key men were Heung-min Son and James Maddison. The latter opened the scoring and found the net once more while Son was more of the creator, setting up two goals but also finding the net himself on the south coast.

The other goal scorers were midfielder Dejan Kulusevski who maintained his fine run of form this term and Senegalese star Pape Sarr who made it four with only a quarter of the game done.

The attack will get their flowers but we want to send some praise in the direction of an 18-year-old; Archie Gray.

Archie Gray's performance in numbers vs Southampton

It's safe to say that when Gray arrived from Leeds United in a £30m deal back in the summer he was not expected to play as a centre-back in a four-man defence.

The teenager had played most of last term at Elland Road as a right-back but he is a central midfielder by trade and has begun his Spurs career by featuring in both roles after moving to north London.

However, Tottenham's defensive injury crisis has meant the youngster has been forced to play as a centre-half now on three occasions.

Now, doing so against a Southampton side who are so turgid in the final third was never going to be the most arduous of nights for young Gray but he performed admirably all the same, earning an 8/10 match rating from Football.London's Alasdair Gold who was keen to note his 'important late goal-saving tackle'.

It was certainly a competent display from the English talent who was so composed and so confident on the ball, showcasing those midfield qualities that have earned him rave reviews over the last few years.

In total, Gray had 101 touches of the ball, the most of any player on the field. Meanwhile, his 90 accurate passes were the highest number on the pitch as well, 12 more than the next best in Radu Dragusin.

Perhaps more impressive was his ability to win duels, coming away from the contest with a win rate of 100% from two battles.

Based on this performance and the composed nature of previous displays in a Spurs shirt, he is set to make a real name for himself as a Lilywhite in the forthcoming years.

Judging by his ability to play in a multitude of positions, the club may well have unearthed their next Eric Dier too.

Like Gray, the England international arrived at White Hart Lane as somebody who could play in midfield and full-back but swiftly transitioned into an out and out central defender.

Although some may bemoan some error-stricken performances at Tottenham, Dier was ultimately a fine servant, featuring on 365 occasions and never receiving a red card.

In Gray, they have a player of equally fine versatility and perhaps even someone with a higher ceiling than they ever had in the current Bayern Munich star.

Last night was very much all about the attack but let's not forget those behind them.

Leeds United, after rescuing a late point against Preston North End, may have no choice but to turn their attention towards the January transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly looking to seal a repeat of their Archie Gray deal.

Leeds transfer news

The Whites are gunning for automatic promotion after suffering playoff heartbreak last season and whilst a point against Preston would have disappointed those in Yorkshire, that last-gasp draw could yet make all the difference. Coming courtesy of Jack Whatmough's unfortunate own goal off the bench to make it a cameo to forget, Leeds now find themselves three points adrift of Championship leaders Sheffield United.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, however, those at Elland Road may have no choice but to brace themselves for potential departures after a summer full of big exits.

Fresh from playoff heartbreak, Leeds were forced to bid farewell to Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and, most frustratingly, academy graduate Gray, who swapped Elland Road for Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, as the winter window approaches, the Lilywhites could make their mark once again to repeat their summer swoop for Gray. According to Leeds United News, Spurs are now eyeing a Gray repeat to sign Pascal Struijk from Leeds when the January window swings open in a couple of weeks.

The central defender has proved to be an important figure for Daniel Farke so far this season, starting in every single Championship game at the heart of his side's backline. With Spurs lacking in numbers at the back following ill-timed injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, however, Leeds could find themselves opening the door to the North London side for the second time in six months.

"Crucial" Struijk key to Leeds' promotion hopes

Losing Summerville, Gray and Rutter in the summer was difficult enough but Leeds were at least in a position to replace their departed stars, which isn't always the case in the January transfer window. Simply put, losing any key figures in the middle of their promotion push is almost certain to derail Leeds' Premier League pursuit, which is currently on course for success.

Struijk certainly comes under that key figure tag too, given the praise that Farke sent his way at the end of October. The German told reporters as relayed by The Leeds Press: "He adapted well to my demands and he's played a crucial part. We don't have to tal about his skills with the ball. I'm very pleased with his development."

At 25 years old, turning down the interest of Spurs would be far from easy, but Struijk must consider potential promotion success and his place at the heart of that success. In North London, it's likely that he'd eventually find himself as the fourth-choice centre-back behind Van de Ven, Romero and Radu Dragusin when all are fit and firing. At Elland Road, meanwhile, he can remain the main man at the back, which could win the argument.